"Hmm? A Sharingan!"
The instant Hanzō noticed Obito's Sharingan, he immediately averted his gaze.
As a figure standing at the very apex of the ninja world, he had naturally crossed blades with the finest of the Uchiha Clan before.
During the Third Great Ninja War, the current head of the Uchiha Clan, Uchiha Fugaku, had been defeated at Hanzō's hands, and in that battle, Fugaku's companions risked their lives to save him, which was also what caused Fugaku to awaken his Mangekyō Sharingan.
Hanzō possessed extraordinarily powerful combat instincts, and the method of engaging in battle without making eye contact was of course something he had already mastered.
"Oh, so you will not even give me a gap to apply genjutsu."
Obito said with surprise.
Clang! After a brief close-quarters exchange, the two separated, and Hanzō formed seals, back-flipped to the ground, and pressed both hands against the earth.
Ninja Art: Jizō Curse!
Glug glug glug. Purple toxic liquid surged up from the ground, and the bodies of Kyusuke and Daibutsu sank into it, dissolving into bare bones in an instant.
Konan was supporting Nagato as they retreated, but the toxic liquid rapidly ate through the earth and would soon reach the two of them.
Glug glug glug.
Obito narrowed his eyes from midair: 'He has summoned a poison pool that seals off my footholds, and even Nagato and Konan are within its range. There is no other way.'
Susanoo!
Crack!
Azure chakra flames enveloped Obito's entire body and formed into a skeletal Susanoo, which upon landing sheltered both Konan and Nagato within its protection.
"Who are you, and why are you saving me?"
Nagato asked.
"Who I am does not matter. What matters is this: Nagato, you should not die in a place like this. You have not yet drawn out the true power of your Rinnegan."
Obito's voice drifted back over his shoulder.
"You know my name and my eyes!"
Nagato exclaimed in shock.
"In time, you will come to understand."
Obito said in a deep tone.
Hanzō, who had returned to the top of the salamander's head, stared into the distance with deeply grave eyes.
'A Mangekyō Sharingan, a Susanoo capable of blocking my deadly poison. So the Akatsuki has been hiding someone like this. But.'
Fire Release: Explosive Great Flame Formation!
Crash crash crash crash! The ground beneath where Susanoo stood began to sink, and a countless number of explosive tags surged up from the soil, flowing over and onto the Susanoo.
Obito's Sharingan perceived it all: 'The number of explosive tags is no fewer than a thousand. These were not traps laid in advance but were summoned into existence along with the technique itself. This form of Susanoo cannot endure this.'
Nagato's expression grew even grimmer, for Hanzō's Fire Release technique was an amplified version of the same move that had burned his legs, and had he not used the power of the Rinnegan to absorb part of the explosive force at the time, things likely would have gone very badly for him. But the scale of this technique now was many times greater than before.
"Die!!"
Hanzō formed seals.
Boom boom boom boom boom! The blazing explosion shot into the sky, and the heat was so intense that it evaporated the rain within dozens of meters.
Hum!! Within the blaze, two golden lights emerged, and they were the eyes of Susanoo!
As the light faded, a scene unfolded that left Hanzō and all the Rain-nin stunned.
The ragged skeletal frame of Susanoo rapidly repaired itself as muscle and sinew wove between the bones, forming an outer layer that draped over the skeletal body like a garment.
Susanoo, Second Form!
Sizzle sizzle sizzle! A large and jet-black shuriken materialized between the palms of Susanoo.
"What is that?"
Hanzō's pupils shrank.
"Kamui Shuriken!"
Swoosh!! After building up force, the Susanoo hurled the Kamui Shuriken forward.
"Not good!"
Hanzō leapt back rapidly.
The Kamui Shuriken struck the salamander he had been standing on.
Crack!! The spatial warping field of Kamui manifested.
"Roaarrr!!"
The salamander let out a wretched scream as its massive body was twisted and wrung together by the force of Kamui, and ultimately it burst apart with a bang, scattering a vast cloud of blood mist and toxic mist in all directions.
Nearby Rain-nin were caught in the toxic mist and collapsed dead on the spot, their gas masks proving entirely useless.
Behind them, Hanzō's eyes grew completely grave: 'A dōjutsu that can distort space. This is a more terrifying power than that Rinnegan. It destroyed the salamander in an instant. Just how many secrets has the Akatsuki been hiding?'
Swoosh! The Kamui Shuriken came flying toward Hanzō again.
"That thing is coming!"
"If it hits you, it is over!!"
The Rain-nin along its path scrambled frantically to flee.
"Hmph! Earth Release: Earth Mound Dumpling!"
Hanzō let out a cold snort and slammed his palm hard against the ground as a massive boulder separated from the earth and rose into midair.
Boom!! After the Kamui Shuriken struck the boulder, the spatial warping field activated and the boulder was pulverized and displaced.
Inside Susanoo, Obito raised an eyebrow: 'So he has figured out that the Kamui Shuriken triggers spatial warping upon striking a solid object, and immediately thought of this substitution method. Truly worthy of being Hanzō. But.'
Obito paused, and his gaze became sharply keen: 'A second one. How will you handle this?'
Swoosh!!
Hidden within the shadow of the previous Kamui Shuriken was yet another Kamui Shuriken, which came spinning through the air toward Hanzō.
Kamui: Shadow Shuriken!!
"What!?"
This move had completely defied Hanzō's expectations, and at this distance there was not even enough time for a Body Flicker Technique.
Boom!!
"Ahhh!!"
The Kamui Shadow Shuriken struck Hanzō, and under the spatial warping field his body was ground apart, but in the midst of it his body transformed into earth.
'An Earth Release shadow clone, set up under the cover of the toxic mist from the salamander's explosion. Even my Sharingan did not notice it. Truly impressive. In that case, the real body is.'
Obito looked downward.
Crack crack!!
The earth layer beneath Obito's feet ruptured, and a chain shot up from the ground, coiling around Obito's weapon, the war fan.
Hanzō had discovered that the weakness of Susanoo lay at its feet, a shared vulnerability of this half-body form.
Taijutsu: Chain Scythe Two-Stage Strike!
Crack! From the other end of the chain, a scythe laced with lethal poison came flying in a slash toward Obito's neck.
For any other person, this would have been an instantaneous kill, but Obito was an exception.
Kamui possesses infinite tolerance for error!
Swoosh! The scythe passed straight through Obito's body without causing any harm at all.
"Hmm!?"
Hanzō, concealed underground and controlling the scythe, let out a sound of surprise.
"It is time to bring this to an end!"
Swoosh! Obito crouched down and thrust his right arm into the ground as a surging wave of Wood Release chakra poured in.
Wood Release: Hellish Rampage!!
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Countless wooden branches rose from the ground, blooming across the earth.
"Ahhh!!"
Amid wretched screams, every Rain-nin at the site, whether chūnin or jōnin, was impaled and slaughtered by the chaotically blooming Wood Release.
Boom! About ten seconds later, with a great crash, Hanzō burst out from his hiding place underground, his protective armor shattered, his left arm heavily wounded by the wild wooden spikes, and blood flowing freely.
After the Wood Release made contact, it could grow wildly through flesh and blood, and had Hanzō not used his own formidable chakra to forcibly suppress the growing branches in time, his entire body would likely have been run through like a bloody sieve.
"Hah, hah, hah."
Hanzō breathed somewhat heavily and stared at Obito with extreme wariness.
He had fought in countless battles, yet for the first time he had been suppressed so thoroughly. His strategy had been without fault, yet not a single one of his attacks had produced any real effect.
A Mangekyō Sharingan with a space-manipulating dōjutsu, the rigid defensive capability of a Susanoo, and on top of that what seemed like a Ghostification Technique but was in fact something surpassing any Ghostification Technique, a soft defensive ability that was without any openings. And he could even use Wood Release. Though I have also held back my most decisive killing technique, the cost of using it is far too great, and whether it could even finish him off remains unknown.
With a heart full of turbulent thoughts, Hanzō fixed his gaze on Obito and spoke with the utmost gravity: "You are the most formidable warrior I, Hanzō of the Salamander, have encountered in all my life. Your strength far surpasses that of Konoha's Legendary Sannin in their prime. Tell me your name."
"Uchiha... Raito!"
Obito's voice rang out with unwavering force.
"Uchiha Raito, I have committed your name to memory. From this day forward, I, Hanzō of the Salamander, will regard you as a peer who stands equal to me. Your name will spread from Amegakure to all five great nations. One day we will meet again, and when that time comes, there will be a decisive victor between us."
With those words spoken, Hanzō activated the Body Flicker Technique, and his form and presence vanished into the blood-stained curtain of rain.